The present invention relates to a low-water flush toilet and in particular to a toilet providing multiple pulse jets of flush water moving in opposite directions on ledges provided on the toilet bowl near its upper end. The flush water applied to the inner surface of the bowl is carefully controlled to produce consistent and repeatable flushing operations.
Water shortages on RV's and boats lead to the use of low-water flush toilets. In some situations, in boats and RV's, conservation of water is essential. The new flush system of this invention is created by providing dual nozzles at the back of the toilet bowl for providing alternating pulses of water from each nozzle, directed so that the water will move along ledges which extends on the sides of the bowl to the front of the bowl, the movement of each pulse of flush water providing for uniformed wetting of one half of the bowl surface below the ledge. The nozzle are directed in opposite directions so that when viewed from above, one jet of flush water will be moving counter-clockwise (from the back of the bowl to the front of the bowl) and the other jet of flush water will be moving in a clockwise direction (from the back of the bowl to the front of the bowl). As a result, total wetting of the bowl will be achieved because each volume of pulsed water can be controlled so as to totally wet half of the bowl, in contrast to previous pulsed flush toilets in which the pulsed water must wet the entire bowl in one pulse.
During flushing, a slide valve at the bottom of the bowl will be opened to allow the pulsed water in the bowl to move the entire content of the bowl into a holding tank below the outlet.
The slide valve is connected through a clutch to an actuator and this prevents damage to the slide valve in the event of a blockage at the outlet. In such case, the actuator would simply “free wheel” without moving the slide valve.
Furthermore, a slip tube or spacer allows variable height positioning of the bowl to meet the demands of the RV and boat industry. The slip tube provided in this toilet to allow the same toilet to be offered to customers in variable heights without adding unnecessary costs because the remaining mechanics of the toilet remain the same. A slip tube spacer is provided to allow the slide valve to be positioned a further distance from the holding tank in a higher (taller) version of the toilet. The slip tube or spacer also ensures a “no leak” path for water from the bowl to the floor to accommodate small variances in dimensions in bowls.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toilet that consistently cleans the bowl's surface using a minimum quantity of water. Further, the electronic controls enable easy flushing of the toilet by the user, having only to depress a control button. A second button when depressed adds water to the bowl to enable the user to leave the toilet with the desired amount of water in the bowl.
The following U.S. Patents, owned by the assignee of this application, utilize “ledges” and pulsed flush water:                U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,508        U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,602        U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,994        U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,544        U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,499        
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention become apparent from a consideration of the following description and dependent claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.